Index tab and supporting strip



, w. E. FIGUCCION 2,370,527

INDEX TAB AND SUPPORTING STRIP Feb. 27, 1945.

Filed June 5, 1944 wmllplolw ZLFIRL' IIQ Patented Feb. 27, 1945 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

INDEX TAB AND SUPPORTING vs'rmr Wa'llace-E. Figuccion, Louisville, Ky.

Application June 3, 1944, Serial No. 538,680

3 Claims. 4 (or. 40-20) This invention relates to index tabs adapted to be applied to the pages of books and has for its object to provide an improved form of index tab as well as a novel means for preserving such tabs for later use.

4 An important object of my invention is to provide an index tab comprising a heavy paper or lightcardboard section bearing :an index character and a strip of transparent material coated on one side with normally tacky pressure-sensitive'adhesive (such, for example, as the material known as Scotch tape), folded over and secured to opposite faces of the index section and having its ends extended to form gummed wings for attachment to the marginal edge of a page. By reason of this construction, the use of a solvent is not required in. attaching the tab to the page of a book; also, the index section is protected against soiling by the transparent covering of Scotch tape and, additionally, the wings which may overlie a portion of the printed matter when the tab is applied to the page of a book does not obscure or conceal such printed matter.

Another object of my invention is to provide a novel method of preserving for later use the form of index tab described above.- This method consists in rendering one surface of a sheet of suitable material smooth and stable and then extending the two wings of the tab outward in opposite directions and adhesively applying the gummed surfaces of both wings to the smooth stable surface of the said sheet. The index section of the tab, which extends upward and at substantially right angle to the wings when the. tab is mounted on the sheet, may be folded over one of the wings to expose the index characters. By being preserved in this way, the tab is protected against injury to its gummed wings, and, at the same time, the tab may be removed from the supporting sheet easily and quickly and with the adhesive coating upon its wings in a fresh tacky condition for ready application to the page of a book.

Still another object of my invention is to provide a novel strip for the supporting of the form of index tabs described above. In its preferred form this strip comprises a sheet of Cellophane or a similar material having a stiff backing of cardboard and the tabs are adhesively applied to from the following detailed description of a pre- =ferred embodiment of the invention, reference being had to the annexed drawing in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of an index tab;

Figure 2 shows the manner in which the index tabs are manufactured en groupe prior to cutting the tabs apart;

Figure 3 shows a supporting strip and the manner in which the index tabs are attached to the strip; and

Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view through the supporting strip and tabs on the line 4-4 of Fig.3.

Referring'to the drawing, in Fig. 1 is illustrated an index tab 1 comprising a. section 2 of heavy paper or cardboard upon one face of which is imprinted an index character '3. A short strip 01" transparent gummed tape of the type known as Scotch tape-that is, Cellophane having a coating 5 of pressure-sensitive adhesive upon one side-is intermediate'ly folded so as to overlie the two faces of the index section 2, the coating of adhesive upon this strip serving tosecure the strip to the index section. Theends of the strip project beyond one side edge of the index section and form wings 6 adapted to overlie opposite 'surfaces of a page 1 (indicated in broken lines) and be adhesively secured thereto by pressure alone.

In Fig. 2 is illustrated the manner in which the index ta-bs are manufactured. A narrow web 2a of heavy paper or light cardboard is printed witha longitudinal row of index characters 3, these characters being suitably spaced apart. A transparent sheet 4a of Cellophane is provided with a coating 5a of pressure-sensitive adhesive upon one of its sides and is folded around the web and gummed thereto. The marginal edges of the sheet 4a project beyond a side of the web and form wings 6a. The individual tabs, corresponding to that illustrated in Fig. 1, are formed by severing the composite Cellophane sheet and paper web along the dotted line indicated at II].

In Figs. 3 and 4 is illustrated a method of preare extended outward in opposite directions (as shown in Fig. 2) and are pressed down upon the exposed Cellophane surface of the supporting card so as to cause them to adhere thereto and v the index section 2 is folded down over one of the wings in a manner such as to expose the index characters 3 to View, as indicated in Figs. 3 and 4. The tabs are secured to the supporting strip in a longitudinally-extending row so as to present an attractive appearance, and when a tab is to be removed the index section 2 is grasped by the fingers and a pull exerted sufficient to draw the wings 6 away from the supporting strip and during such withdrawal the wings curl slightly away from each other so as to freely allow these gumrned wings to be insertedover the edge of the page '7 to be indexed (Fig. l) and to be afiixecl thereto by pressure.

By using Cellophane for the surface of the supporting strip the cohesion between this strip and the adhesive coatings on the wings is insuflicient to, cause any substantial portion of said coatings to be stripped from the tabs during removal of the tabs from the strip so that this adhesive remains on the wings and affords means for the attachment of the tab to the page of the book to beindexed.

The tabs comprising the alphabet, series or group may be applied to both sides of the strip assuming that the strip has been rendered smooth and stable on its opposite sides, and if desired the strip may be attractively designed suitably provided with advertising matter so as to serve as a book marker or insert after the tabs have been removed therefrom.

While I have mentioned Cellophane as the material for the surface of the tab supporting strip, it will be apparent that other materials may be used instead, to reduce the cohesion between the tab and the strip.

-Manifestly the invention is capable of being embodied in other forms than that described above without departing from the spirit of my invention as defined in the following claims.

I claim:

1. A means for supporting index tabs, a tab of the. type comprising a section of flat material bearing an index character upon one of its faces, a strip of Cellophane folded over the front and back faces of said tab section and adhesively secured thereto and having the ends of the strip extended beyond an edge of said tab section and provided with an adhesive coating upon its opposed faces, said supporting means comprising a stiff sheet of the character of cardboard and a sheet of the character of Cellophane laid over one surface of said cardboard sheet and adhesively secured thereto, the ends of the Cellophane strip which forms a part of the tab being adhesively secured to the exposed Cellophane surface of the supporting means.

-2. A means for supporting and preservin index tabs, a tab of the type having two attach-. ment wings of Cellophane and a normally tacky pressure-sensitive adhesive composition upon the opposed faces of said attachment wings, said means comprising a stiff sheet of the character of cardboard and .a sheet of the character of Cellophane laid over one surface of the said cardboard sheet and adhesively secured thereto; the two Cellophane wings of the tab being adhesively secured to the exposed surface of the Cellophane sheet of the supporting means.

3. A meansforsupporting index tabs, a tab of the type having two attachment wings of Cellophane and a normally tacky pressure-sensitive adhesive composition upon the opposed faces of said attachment wings, said means comprising a stifi backing sheet of the character of cardboard and a thin surface sheet of smooth stable material firmly united with said backing sheet, the Cellophane wings of the tab being adhesively secured to the smooth stable surface of the supporting means.

WALLACE E. FIGUCCION. 

